Immunocytochemical Staining of Drosophila Larval Body-Wall Muscles
Adapted from Drosophila Neurobiology (ed. Zhang et al.). CSHL Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2010.INTRODUCTION
Over the last two decades, the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has gained immense popularity as a model system for the study of synaptic development, function, and plasticity. With this model, it is easy to visualize synapses and manipulate the system genetically with a high degree of temporal and spatial control, which makes it ideal for resolving problems in synaptic physiology and development. This article describes a procedure for labeling various proteins with antibodies in dissected larval body-wall muscles and visualizing their localization and distribution in the brain, NMJ, and muscle.
